Laundry starch and method of using the same



30 fusible and may be solidified by very rapid cooling form. 30

50 remarkably stable and does not decompose on tals will be trapped and the resultant solid will 50 Patented-Mar. 7, 1939 LAUblDRY' STARC'H AND METHOD OF USIN G THE SAME Ralph E. Hall, Mount Lebanbn, Pa., assignor to Hall Laboratories, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania No Drawing. Application June 11, 1937,

Serial N0. 148,725 7 6 Claims. (CL 134-19) This invention relates to laundry starch and be heated in a suitable furnace until the water methods of using the same. The present invention formed by the reaction of the sodium carbonate is an improvement upon the invention disclosed and phosphoric acid, together with any water of in my Patent 2,009,692, granted July 30, 1935. crystallization, is driven off. The mixture at tem- According to my said patent, laundry starches peratures somewhat in excess of 750 C. is pasty 5 are improved by mixing therewith an alkali-metal and may be poured from the furnace into molds or hexametaphosphate. The starch to which the onto a casting wheel. The fluidity of the mixture alkali-metal hexametaphosphate has been added is increased by increasing the temperature and at gives a smoother glossier finish of more. uniform 860 C. it will be entirely fluid and contain no 10 quality and appearanceover the fabric which has solid component. At temperatures in excess of 10 been ironed than does starch not containing the 610 C. and below those of complete fluidity, the metaphosphate. i g solid phase is crystalline anhydrous sodium pyro- In accordance with the present invention I have p p e. A the p r ure d creases toward found that I may employ an alkali-metal trl- 610 C., the amount of the solid phase ofsodium polyphosphate in place of the alkali-metal metapyrophosphate crystals increases until the mass 15 phosphate for improving the starch. The alkalibecomes quite thick and mushy, metal tripolyphosphates have certain distinct ad- If the mixture is heated above 860 C., which is vantages as compared to the alkali-metal meta- 3 above the temperature at which solid sodium phosphates when employed in starches, as will be pyrophosphate can exist, the mixture is compointed out more fully hereinafter. The alkalipletely fluid, and upon very rapid chilling it be- 20 metal tripolyphosphates are chemical compounds comes a supercooled liquid which may be conof the formula M5P3O1o in their anhydrous form. sidered as sodium tripoiyphosphate in non-crys- Sodium tripoiyphosphate is the most common and talline glassy form. In order to obtain the triimportant of the alkali-metal tripolyphosphates. polyphosphate in such glassy form, the fluid mass Chemical and X-ray analyses show that sodium must be cast in thin layers against cold surfaces 25 tripoiyphosphate is a definite chemical compound so that it is supercooled in liquid form before there which is distinct from both sodium metaphosis an opportunity for the formation of pyrophosphate and sodium pyrophosphate and that it is not phate crystals. Upon annealing, the glassy tria mixture ofthe two. Sodium tripoiyphosphate is polyphosphate may be converted into crystalline in a glassy amorphous form. Under slower cool- It is preferred, however, to form the crystalline ing it solidifies in the form of crystals. The glass tripoiyphosphate by slow cooling of the fluid or may be converted into crystal form by annealing. pasty mixture. If the reaction mixture is heated Sodium tripoiyphosphate forms a crystalline hyto a temperature between 610, C. and 860 C. a drate of the general formula NasPaowfil-izo. more or less pasty mass, depending upon the Sodium tripolyphosphate is colorless, appearing temperature, is formed containing crystals of white in the granulated crystalline form. When sodium pyrophosphate in a molten mass. If the crushed it forms a free-flowing granular mass. mass is heated above 860 C. and slowly cooled, By suitable precautions it may be produced in a the same type of mass is formed, namely, sodium 0 mass which readily disintegrates into its conpyrophosphate crystals in the molten matrix. stituent fine crystals. Sodium tripolyphosphate is The proportion of sodium pyrophosphate crystals not deliquescent and particularly in its hydrated increases as.the temperature decreases toward form may be preserved indefinitely in ordinary 610 0. As the temperature is decreased below atmospheres without caking or picking up moisabout 610 C., which is the peritectic or inconture. Sodium tripoiyphosphate is readily watergruent melting point of the sodium tripolyphos- 45 soluble in both its glassy and crystalline forms. phate, the sodium pyrophosphate crystals disap- In moderately dilute solutions, say of about 0.5%, pear and crystals of sodium tripoiyphosphate apit produces a mildly alkaline solution of a pH pear. If the mass is allowed to cool rapidly to apvalue of approximately 9.8, which is definitely and preciably below 610 C., the pyrophosphate crysstanding.- contain pyrophosphate crystals in amount de- Sodium tripoiyphosphate may be prepared in pending upon the rapidity of the cooling. Correthe following manner. Suitable quantities of sponding to the amount'of pyrophosphate left in sodium carbonate and phosphoric acid to yield a the mixture, there will be an equivalent amount molar ratio of 5 to 3 between NazO and P20: may of metaphosphate which will usually be in the 55 was... A...

4 ture of about 500 C. will lose substantially all form of the hexametaphosphate. n the other hand, 11 the mass is cooled slowly from about 610 0., the pyrophosphate crystals will entirely disappear and the mass will solidify as sodium tripolyphosphate in anhydrous crystalline form.

The mass may, for example, be cooled slowly from 610 C. to 550 C. in about one-half an hour's time, which will result in the formation of a solid consisting of tripolyphosphate crystals, or the mass may be held at about 600 C. for about onehalf hour, in which case sodium pyrophosphate crystals will disappear and the mass will go completely solid as sodium tripolyphosphate crystals. After the complete conversion of the mass to sodium tripolyphosphate crystals, the cooling thereafter may be rapid.

The mass of tripolyphosphate crystals thus prepared is readily disintegrable into a fine crystalline powder.

Instead of phosphoric acid and sodium carbonate, there may be used as starting ingredients phosphoric pentoxide and sodium hydroxide, or a mixture of monosodium orthophosphate and disodium orthophosphate, or a mixture of sodium metaphosphate and sodium pyrophosphate, or other suitable soda base and source of P205. In each case, the proportions of the mixture are so chosen that the molar ratio between NazO and P 05 is as 5 to 3 if a pure sodium tripolyphosphate is to be obtained.

, Sodium tripolyphosphate may also be prepared by heating to reaction temperatures below 540 C. a mixture of hydrated monosodium orthophosphate and hydrated disodium orthophosphate. This mixture when heated melts in its water of crystallization and if maintained at a temperaof its water, becoming a white crystalline mass, which upon cooling likewise readily disintegrates into a fine white powder consisting of crystalline sodium tripolyphosphate. In this reaction the sodium tripolyphosphate appears to be formed directly without the production of pyrophosphate crystals, and therefore precautions do not have to be taken to cool the mass slowly.

A suitable laundry staf'ch solution according to the present invention may be made by adding approximately 1.5 quarts of a 25 per cent. solution vof sodium tripolyphosphate to each 25 gallons of prepared starch solution. The starch may be applied by dipping the fabric into it or by starching machines. Instead of adding a solution of the sodium tripolyphosphate to a starch solution. a solid mixture of the starch and the sodium tripolyphosphate may be made and this mixture dissolved in water to form the improved starch solution. Sodium tripolyphosphate has a number of advantages over sodium metaphosphate when used in conjunctionwith laundry starch. Starch solutions are used in a heated condition since the starch penetrates into the fabric better when heated than when cold- Sodium hexametaphosphate has a tendency to revert to orthophosphate when subjected to prolonged heating. Sodium tripolyphosphate, on the other hand, is considerably more stable in heated solutions than the metaphosphate. Also in the ironing of the fabric the tendency of the metaphosphate to revert to the orthophosphate is considerably greater than that of the tripolyphosphate.

Sodium tripolyphosphate is considerably more stable than sodium hexametaphosphate in. alkaline solutions. Alkali starches, that is, starches made by using caustic soda or other alkalis in the preparation of the starch, always contain some alkali remaining after washing the starch. .When

used withsuch starches the sodium tripolyphosphate is much more stable than the sodium metaphosphate, particularly when the starch solutions are heated. In some starches alkaline materials are added for various purposes, and likewise in these starches the tripolyphosphate is much more stable than the metaphosphate.

A further advantage of the sodium tripolyphosphate as compared with sodium hexametaphosphate is that the tripolyphosphate is not hygroscopic, as is sodium. hexametaphosphate. Also, it can be readily prepared in crystalline form without the drastic chilling which is required in producing glassy sodium hexametaphosphate. Sodium tripolyphosphate can therefore be readily prepared as a free-flowing material which will not become moist on standing in ordinary atmospheres, as does the metaphosphate. This property renders the tripolyphosphate particularly advantageous as compared with the metaphosphate since the tripolyphosphate may be mixed with the starch to form a solid mixture which does not cake.

While I prefer to use sodium tripolyphosphate, the water-soluble tripolyphosphates of, the other alkali metals such as those of potassiiun, ammonium and lithium may be employed.

I have described a preferred starch solution, but it is to be understood that the proportions of starch and alkali-metal tripolyphosphates may be varied and that the invention may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Laundry starch containing an alkali-metal tripolyphosphate. v

2. Laundry starch containing sodium tripolyphosphate.

3. A starch solution containing an alkali-metal tripolyphosphate. A

4. A starch solution containing sodium tripolyphosphate.

5. The method of starching textile material, which comprises treating it with a starch solution containing alkali-metal tripolyphosphate.

6. The method of starching textile material which comprises treating it with a starch solution containing sodium tripolyphosphate.

RALPH E. HALL. 

